Dance in Maya Art : Ritual Performance of the Classic Maya . University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
نویسندگان
چکیده
This research is a study of the characteristics of Maya dance during the Early to Late Classical periods, which is approximately 250 CE to 900 CE. The artistic expression of the Maya culture developed its highest aesthetic in art during this period and much of the images in the artwork relate to dance. The practice of dance in Maya cultures had several purposes, but the most prominent were religious and political. The objective of this research is to discover the characteristics and purposes of dance in ritual performance and also analyzing further implications within Maya culture. Examples of dance aspects to be studied are the identification of movement quality, its choreography, performance intention and religious connotation. The study also explores dance’s metaphoric meanings such as transformation through movement and production of energy. The methodology will be based on the analysis of evidence documented in the visual arts found in archeological sites like Palenque, and Tikal. This research follows the standards of art history in the application of formal and contextual analysis of art media, including the study of composition, style, iconography, etc. The selection of art objects to be studied display dance scenes in relation to mythological figures depicted in ceramics and basrelief. The outcome of this research can serve as support for the investigation of dance characteristics at Chichen Itza during the Postclassical period. “Here the constants of beauty, ease, proportion, vitality, technical mastery, of the communication of ecstasy to the beholder, are within one’s body-soul. And the greatest constant of all is that we experience a rhythmic beauty, the activity of God Himself.” Ted Shawn. (Brown 1979:32)
منابع مشابه
The Late Classic Drought Cult: Ritual Activity as a Response to Environmental Stress among the Ancient Maya
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